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Online CBT

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Interpersonal therapy (IPT)

Interpersonal therapy (IPT) focuses on your relationships with other people. It also focuses on problems you may be having in your relationships. For example, difficulties with communication or coping with bereavement.

Counselling

Counselling helps you think about the problems you're experiencing in your life. It helps you to find new ways of dealing with them. Counsellors support you in finding solutions to problems but don't tell you what to do.

You talk in confidence to a counsellor, who supports you and offers practical advice.

Counselling is ideal for people who are healthy but need help coping with a current crisis.

For example:

anger

relationship issues

bereavement

redundancy

infertility

the onset of a serious illness

Exercise

Regular exercise may be a more effective treatment for mild depression than antidepressants.

Exercise helps boost levels of chemicals called serotonin and dopamine in the brain. These can lift your mood.

Exercising on a regular basis can boost self-esteem and confidence. This can help to relieve symptoms of depression.

Your GP may refer you to a fitness trainer for an exercise scheme. Or you can read about starting exercise.

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Self-help groups

Talking through your feelings can be helpful. You can either talk to a friend or relative, or you can ask your GP to suggest a local self-help group. There are also chat rooms on the internet that offer support.

Lithium

You may have tried several different antidepressants and seen no improvement. If so, your doctor may offer you a medication called lithium. You will get this with your current treatment.

There are 2 types of lithium:

lithium carbonate

lithium citrate

Both are usually effective. If you're taking one that works for you, it's best not to change.

If the level of lithium in your blood becomes too high, it can become toxic. So, you'll need blood tests every three months to check your lithium levels while you're taking it.

You'll also need to avoid eating a low-salt diet because this can also cause the lithium to become toxic. Ask your GP for advice about your diet.

Side effects of lithium include:

dry mouth

a metallic taste in your mouth

some mild shaking of your hands

diarrhoea

These side effects usually pass with time once your body gets used to the medication.

Electric shock treatment

Brain stimulation can be used to treat severe depression. It is used when the depression has not responded to other treatments.

There are a number of types of brain stimulation. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most common.

During ECT an electric current passes to the brain through electrodes placed on the head.

ECT is always carried out under a general anaesthetic in a hospital by a specialist doctor.